Over the past twenty to thirty years, there has been an explosion in research on the "information age" from a variety of scholarly perspectives. This course is designed to prepare students to understand and participate in this scholarly process of understanding the relationships between communication and technology.

Marshall McLuhan's suggestion that culture and technology are inextricably intertwined has significant implications for the current fascination with the "information age." Politicians, corporate media spokespersons, and scholars alike have joined in the chorus pronouncing the information age the final revolution in human social, political, and economic institutions. As we enter the twenty-first century, we are bombarded with the discourse of "cyberspace," "virtual reality," the "information superhighway," "electronic communities," etc., but the media offer little in the way of a frame of reference from which to evaluate the various claims being made about these developments in communication technology.

In spite of all the "hype," or perhaps because of it, a field of truly critical scholarly perspectives on technological change has emerged in speech communication research. This course will introduce students to this scholarship as a field of study, attempting to make sense of the technological revolution from a critical perspective that is both historically informed and technologically astute.

We will engage some of the following questions this semester, among others:

• What and where is "cyberspace"?
• What are the implications of "cyberspace" on human culture?
• What issues in communication law and policy are raised by the Internet?
• What is the political economy of "cyberspace"?
• What implications does the internet have for issues of cultural and intellectual diversity?
• What are the political and social ramifications of the internet?
• Will the Internet radically transform human social and political institutions?
• Does the military history of the internet have any lasting impact on the structure and function of cyberspace?
• In whose interest is it to declare the "information age" the newest revolution in consciousness?
• In what ways does the emergence of "cyberculture" problematize theories of race, gender, and sexuality?
• How does the notion of "virtual reality" transform our ideas of time, space, and matter?
• What are the implications of the information revolution for concerns of individual privacy and freedom?
• Who benefits most from the new information technology? And whose ox is gored?
• What are the likely future impacts of computer technology on human communication?

1. Theory

The theoretical component of this course will involve a set of reading and discussion assignments and lectures. Reading assignments will expose students to a variety of theoretical approaches to the problems associated with technology and communication. This course starts with the assumption that communication is a social phenomenon. Thus, special emphasis will be devoted to the social and cultural implications of technology. Lectures will attempt to situate the readings historically and isolate key issues that arise for discussion. Discussions will explore these issues and questions in greater depth. Student participation in these discussions will be evaluated as part of your overall grade.

2. Practice

A significant portion of your work in this course will involve the use of computer communication resources. It is assumed that students are somewhat familiar with and have access to the Internet. Internet accounts are available through the campus computer center, and training in internet skills are also offered by the center. You have paid for these resources already in your tuition, so take advantage of what is offered. No class time will be spent on basic internet training, so if you come to class without at least a passing familiarity with the internet, please be prepared to become familiar with the technology on your own time. The skills you need (basic electronic mail, news, and world wide web access) are easy to learn quickly, and the computers and software to access these services are available to students on campus. If you have your own computer and modem, these services will be available to you off campus as well, so much of your participation in this portion of the course can take place at home.

The internet resources available to the course will include a newsgroup on Usenet, an electronic mail discussion, and a series of pages on the World Wide Web. Some of the reading assignments will come from these web pages as well. Students will participate in research and discussion through these media, and will be evaluated on the quality of this participation. This component of the course will essentially involve the construction of a "virtual classroom" alongside our real classroom.

3. Scholarship

The final component of the course, scholarship, will be an ongoing aspect of both of the above components. This process will culminate in a written research presentation of 7-10 pages which will be made available on the World Wide Web as part of our "virtual classroom." Essays should address some topic of significance in the information age, and should incorporate some of the course materials. These essays will be presented electronically the final day of class in a "Cyber-Event" that will take place entirely online. This essay will be the only formally graded assignment you will receive this semester, although you will receive portfolio grades three times during the semester. Required Texts:

James Brook and Iain A. Boal, Resisting the Virtual Future: The Culture and Politics of Information (San Francisco: City Lights, 1995).

Martin Heidegger, The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays trans. William Lovitt (New York: Harper, 1977).

Ben Attias, Speech Communication 454: A Reader and Sourcebook, available at Northridge Copy Center.

Students will be evaluated holistically based on their performance in each of the above categories. In order to facilitate evaluation of student performance, a student portfolio will be turned in electronically three times over the course of the semester. This portfolio will include entries by the students detailing your work in each of the above categories and the student's self-evaluation. For example:

1. Theory: I have kept up with the readings and been an active participant in class discussions. I was particularly active on 2/13, starting an argument with the professor and proving he was wrong. My posts to usenet on 2/4, 2/10, 2/23, and 3/1 were detailed and provoked useful discussions. I completed all of the analytical assignments satisfactorily. For these reasons, I deserve an "B" in this category.

2. Practice: I have actively participated in the usenet and email discussions, completed each of the online assignments, and posted several messages to Internet communities outside of class. I have created my own web page and started my own Internet company. During the class discussion about computer hacking, I broke into the Pentagon computer and started world war III. For these reasons, I deserve an "A-" in this category.

3. Scholarship: I received a "B+" on the final paper. My understanding of McLuhan was a little weak, and I tried to cover it up by repeating his aphorisms assertively until my classmates told me to shut up. I understood even less of Heidegger so I burned the book. For these reasons, I deserve a "C" in this category.